AVALON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

High Performance Equipment Not Delivering Results Due to Duct Leakage

When the new $60 million dollar elementary school first opened its doors, everyone was excited and pleased. The modern classrooms and energy-efficient building were sources of pride and joy for the Maryland-area school district. However, it wasn’t far into the first winter season that school administrators recognized there was a significant HVAC problem.

“The new building was designed with an energy-efficient heating system that wasn’t delivering [air] as it should,” said Ted Thornton, project manager at Coakley & Williams Construction. “We did some testing, and it turned out that the advanced 15,000 CFM [HVAC] system was losing nearly 25% of the treated air through leaks in the ductwork. In essence we had a Lamborghini-quality HVAC system riding around with used hubcaps, as far as the ductwork was concerned.” Long story short, the school administration decided to seal the ductwork with Aeroseal, and it was a tremendous success!

PROJECT OVERVIEW

BUILDING

Avalon Elementary School

LOCATION

Fort Washington, Maryland

AEROSEAL CONTRACTORS

Air Duct Maids

CONTRACT ENGINEER

Coakley & Williams

GOAL

Fix heating issues in the school building during winter; Recover treated air leaking out of air ducts before it reaches intended spaces

BEFORE AEROSEAL

3,731 CFM of leakage

AFTER AEROSEAL

385 CFM of leakage

RESULTS

Improved the building’s heating system performance during the cold winter by sealing the air ducts with Aeroseal and achieved 90% reduction of leakage